Week 4 – Post Oct. 5, 2011

Collection Development Polices
Collection development policies provide guidelines or parameters for the librarian to work within as s/he selects materials. Rather than constraining the librarian, these guidelines actually free a librarian to do his/her best work in developing the collection. They ensure that collection development practices are consistent with the mission of a particular school library or district. A policy prevents a library from being driven by events or by individual enthusiasms that may not support the mission of the library.

Readings
Please read Donham, pp. 148-150.

Please review Guidelines for Writing Collection Development Policies -- Dartmouth College at
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/collprog/cdp/cdpguidelines.html

Task
Locate a Collection Development Policy. It may be a policy you find on line or have access to through your school or another librarian.

Discussion Posting
In your discussion board identify the policy you are working with. If it is an online version, please post the URL.
How would this policy impact your work as a school librarian?
What similarities and differences do you notice between the policies that your classmates have identified?

Assignments
Email online discussion self-assessment score for Week 3. Due 10/8/11.

Developing a Collection Analysis Plan
Due Saturday, October 15, 2011 at midnight
Over the past several weeks we have discussed the following topics:
  • Cultural representation and defining our community
  • Collection analysis
  • Curriculum maps
  • Collection development policies

Take some time to review the topics we’ve covered. Armed with that information, it is your turn to develop a collection analysis plan for your library.

Your collection analysis plan should include the following:
a) the criteria you will look for/measure in the analysis of your collection (if you are already working in a library, you can work with a company to do a real analysis on your collection)

b) ideas on how you will gather your data

c) a plan on how you will present your data (and to whom) and

d) ideas on how you will use your data to argue your need for additional book funds.

The plan may be developed as a standard Word document, pamphlet or other creative medium that you would use to present this information to your principal.

ALSO, prepare for our guest speakers by reading Kerby, Chapters 2, 3, & 4 BEFORE October 12.